Washington DC

This last weekend, I joined Roz in Washington. The flight over was fairly hilarious as I had the pleasure of being seated next to some big burly Texan who thought I'd swoon and succumb when he told me that he worked for the Dept. of Defence as a contractor in Iraq and that he'd previously worked as a body guard for the Saudi Royals. He even offered to buy me a drink in return for my e-mail address or a drink in Washington - luckily the drinks on BA are free, as I kindly pointed out to him. Let's just say that the sardonic eyebrow was raised and after his attempts to win me over with dirty jokes, the ipod and book were bought out. Somewhere over the Atlantic he got the hint.
Saturday morning was rather chilly at -3C and all the snow had iced over. During the course of the weekend, Roz and I mastered the art of walking on water (albeit frozen). After a much needed stop at Starbucks, we headed out to see the White House; and walked along the Mall, taking in the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Congress and the Library of Congress. Great to finally see some of these statuesque buildings and I particularly loved the Lincoln Memorial. Roz and I kept having flashbacks from Forrest Gump and National Treasure. Stops at the FBI Building and Union Station also had to be made, although the former was rather unimpressive. After lunch at a Spanish tapas spot on 14th called Jaleo, we headed to the Washington Zoo to fulfil Rozzie's dream of seeing a Panda. We saw two gorgeous little Pandas and although they were totally pre-occupied with stripping bamboo for lunch, we were more than happy just to watch. Next up was a stop at Arlington cemetery, and although it was closing, Roz and I convinced the guard to let us have a peak at the 'standard' gravestones.
In order to get out of the cold and in the spirit of a more relaxed weekend, Roz and I then headed off to the movies to see 'Music and Lyrics'. Hugh Grant shaking his ass and the humungous size of the American popcorn, Coke and Nacho servings had me in hysterics. By this time our tummies were rumbling so we headed off to Old Ebbit's Grill for Crab Cakes. Sophisticated Colonialism with some groovy jazz made for a great evening. Sunday, we had a later start and grabbed some cream cheese and bagels for breakfast before heading into Georgetown. We took a walk through the harbour to glimpse the Watergate building before heading into the colonial Victorian part of town to hit the shops. David and Iain will not be surprised when they hear that we spent a bit of time in Abercrombie & Fitch.. And Urban Outfitters.. And Victorias Secret.. My bag was bulging on the way home, but I was smiling. Retail therapy always works. Off to Koblenz in the Rhine Valley this weekend, which I am really looking forward to.

A Bite of the Big Apple

Gale force winds; trains stopped due to fallen trees on tracks; our Operations building near evacuation as it was moving more than the engineers thought possible in the wind; 10 people dead; and my 7pm flight to JFK cancelled, I didn’t think I was going anywhere when I arrived at Heathrow on Thursday night. Roz’s flight had already been moved to the next morning; her twin cousins, David and Ian, were delayed and I wondered what fate I was in for. I had visions of surprising everyone at work the next morning when I arrived for the 7.15am conference call. That was all until, a robust smiling African man with British Airways walked up to me and said, “Come on my dear, let’s get you on a plane”. I hadn’t realised that I was standing around. Bemused or confused, I don’t recall. Next thing I knew, I was leaving on the 6.30pm flight to Newark and being handed a new boarding pass and fast tracked through to departures. I would get to take my first bite of the big apple after all. Upon arrival, I joined the twins at our accommodation on the Upper West side and after David’s last nicotine fix for the evening we all crashed. As Roz had already seen Wall Street and the Statue of Liberty, we were assigned a mission for the following morning before she arrived. I was awoken with Ian’s shout of “It’s snowing”. I must have vaulted out of bed to join him at the window to see huge white snowflakes drifting past. Ian was like a kid, as one is when you first see snow. After admiring the beauty, my next thoughts revolved around how much I was going to freeze. After hot showers we braved Amsterdam street in search of coffee and the subway on 96th street. A Dunkin’ Donuts Latte in hand we boarded the subway for Wall street and Ian quickly discovered that the train drivers in New York do not know the meaning of smooth braking. Drinking a coffee while reading your newspaper became a multi tasking nightmare – until he found an available seat, that is. Upon arriving at Wall Street, a local took pity on the confused looking foreigners pouring over their map and pointed us in the direction of the Stock exchange.

We then walked up past Trinity church in search of the big brass Bull, before heading on for one of the numerous Delis for a scrambled egg and sausage bagel. Yum! Tummies full, we headed through Battery Park to the Liberty Island ferry terminal to head across to the Lady Liberty.

After climbing up inside to the viewing deck in the icy cold, we were treated to some magnificent views of the New York Skyline. After arriving back on Manhattan Island, we headed to Greenwich village to meet Roz for lunch at a little Argentine bistro, where Ian and I paid a fortune for some amazing Argentinian Cabernet (note to self: ask price first next time). It was worth it though. As Roz thought she had not been to ground zero we all next headed there. Upon arrival, Roz realized that she had been there. Apparently it was still good second time around. After that we headed via Penn Station for a some shopping on 5th Avenue. Macys was our last stop before heading to Madison Square Gardens for the NY Knicks vs. the New Jersey Nets. We found our seats and then loaded up with hot dogs (complete with sauerkraut, chilli and cheese) and beer just before the first whistle went. Building up to the nail biting climax in the 4th quarter, we all got into the swing of things (although we never totally figured out why some of the fouls were called), yelling “de-fense” and “Go Knicks Go” with the crowd. With the Nets clinching it in the final 2 seconds, the end score was Nets 101 to the Knicks 100. A great night and you can see why they say, “I love this game”. The next morning we met up with Lana in Central park and went strolling amidst all the runners out in the sub-zero temperatures. Dogs were scampering after balls and everyone was having a ball. Something one does not see in the London winters. In order to temporarily defrost, we headed for the Boat House coffee shop for a coffee and giant chocolate chip cookies. Next up we headed down 5th Avenue past the infamous Trump tower, Tiffanys, Saks, Bergdorfs, Barnes & Noble, etc..

En route to the Empire State Building we also passed Rockerfeller centre and stopped to watch the ice skaters, although the thought of ice made me even colder. A little further on we stopped at the NY Public Library where some native New Yorker tried to pick me up, which caused David no end of amusement. At least I’m good value! Once inside the Empire State building, we ascended in the two lifts to the 86th floor and the observation deck. Even though the icy wind was howling straight through every layer of clothing, the views were amazing and worth the risk of losing all feeling in one’s face.

By the time we got down to ground level, our tummies were rumbling so we headed to Pipa’s, a little Spanish eatery on 19th, between Park and Broadway, for amazing Sangria, latino music and a vibey atmosphere, not forgetting amazing food. Pipa’s used to be a Chandelier shop and they still had all the old chandeliers (complete with price tag) hanging from the ceiling. Bare facebrick walls and opulent curtains completed the picture. A few glasses of white Sangria later, we made our way back to 5th Avenue, with a short stop at Grand Central Station. We split ways on 5th Avenue to let the guys head to the Apple store to buy their ipods and the girls headed to Tiffanys and Nine West. A few swipes of the credit card later, we headed for the bright lights of Times square, where the icy wind chased us indoors. Luckily we found shelter from the freezing cold at our next port of call: a theatre on Broadway. We’d booked for Tarzan and loved every second. Men swinging about in loin-cloths. Need I say more.. At the end of the show, we braved the cold as we headed home. Luck smiled upon us, as I was able to flag down once of the scarce empty yellow cabs for the trip home. The next morning we met up with Lana for Breakfast in Soho. Walking past all the gorgeous shops, such as Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn etc., I had to restrain myself. All the apartment blocks looked exactly as I’d imagined, complete with the antique looking fire escapes. For breakfast we ended up at Midnight Diner. It was a typical looking American diner and Ian and David tucked into Lumberjack breakfasts. Later on, we swung briefly past the Met before heading onto the Gugenheim for a bit of culture. Loved the Mark Rothko (1949) and many Picasso pieces, particularly the Dead Birds. Once we’d finished there, we had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport, so headed to 5th Avenue for one last hotdog from a streetside vendor and a bit of last minute shopping at Abercrombie and Fitch. We were sad to go, but with lighter wallets and heavier suitcases, I know I’ll definitely be back.

The Patchamamas in Peru

The festive season in Peru is not an obvious choice, but it turned out to be an amazing one. I left cold and dreary London on the 24th of December for a brief stop in Miami, before continuing my journey to Lima to meet up with Roz.

Upon arrival, we met Paul (an Aussie chap from Cairns, now mingling with the Chinese in Shanghai) who was one of the other 3 people who was to form our close knit little group for the next 12 days. We’d all organized a transfer with Geckos, but it turned out to be a taxi ride with a chancer who thought he’d try his luck with the Gringos. He tried every trick in the book, but unfortunately for him we’d all experienced it before. He initially tried to get us to pay for the taxi again, then pulled up at a gas station and tried to get us to pay for fuel. When we refused, he headed out onto a darkened seaside road and repeatedly stalled his car in an effort to fake running out of gas. When our only reaction was to call the hotel and ask them to talk some sense into him in Spanish, he eventually pulled into a gas station, dutifully paid for his own petrol and then drove like Schumi on speed to the hotel. The adventure had therefore already started half an hour into being in Peru. But then again, you don’t go to Peru for anything but.

The next day being Christmas day, Paul, Roz and I set out to explore the streets of Lima and stumbled upon the delightful seaside restaurants. Christmas lunch was spent overlooking the Pacific and sipping Pisco Sours. Later that day, we met Claire and Anthony (an couple from Sydney), who completed our ‘family’ of five. We bonded over a bottle of Rose in the hotel reception while awaiting our guide for the tour briefing.

To be completed...

China

I arrived back from China on Sunday morning, rather fresh even after 22 hours of travelling and an 8 hour time difference. Business class does help! It was an amazing 8 day trip, starting in Beijing for 4 days, then catching the overnight train (not that much sleeping was done) to Xi'an for 2 days, before flying into Shanghai for the last 2 days. As per the Katie Melua song, there are indeed 9 million bicycles in Beijing. They are everywhere in every shape and form and carrying all manner of things and in places the cycle paths rival the width of the roads. But when you notice that most cyclists are wearing face masks to minimise inhalation of the thick smog (the Chinese being optimists, like to call it fog and blame it on the weather rather than there emissions policies) you quickly decide that this would not be a preferred form of transport. Especially when crossing a road requires more then a 'look left, right and then left again'. Rather it's look every which way and pray as you dash forth across the road.

The first thing that struck me (after the fact that extreme poverty and overcrowding is as real as CNN says) is how brand conscious the Chinese are. No wonder the knock off market has flourished so. Everything down to the Prada face masks is branded (regardless of whether Prada sells face masks) and once you have your Bargaining skills down, the Beijing Silk market is the place to go. After a few thrilling hours amidst calls of, 'Lookey, Lookey Lady', 'You killing me with that price', I walked away with Chloe bags at £5 and no one has been able to tell the difference. That was not all I walked away with, but that's a secret between me and my luggage. Nearly bursting at the seams, but as my pack had only weighed 14kg at the start, I had a bit of room to play.

For my trip, I had joined 11 others on a Kumuka trip and turned out to be an amazing group of people. Mainly Aussies from Perth (two doctors and some engineers from BHP Bhilliton), a Brit, 2 Kiwis and an American called Ginja. Whilst in Beijing we made stops at the Great Wall for a day, the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Tombs, the Summer Palace, a rickshaw ride through the Hutongs, Tienamen Square and the Forbidden City amongst other things. The Great Wall was a definate highlight in Beijing. The sheer magnitude of it and the fact that it just kept going and going amazed me. After numerous photos, climbing up onto the tops of the buttresses along the wall and clambering up never ending unevenly spaced stairs, we eventually made our way down in search of coffee. For all the tea in China, coffee is scarce. Good coffee near impossible.

Our daily meals usually consisted of a vast array of dishes ordered off a menu I couldn't read (thank goodness for Yearick (our guide) and Trina and Jono who spoke enough Cantonese and mandarin to get us by). When they arrived, it was generally pot luck. I seldom knew what I was eating and sometimes didn't want to. Generally the food was really great though and for £2.50 a head, o one was comlaining. Let's just say that nothing goes to waste in China. Every part of an animal is used. By the time it neared to go home, I was looking forward to Bovril on Toast. Traditional Peking duck was a definite highlight.

Leaving Beijing for Xi'an we joined the masses and caught an overnight train for the 11 hour journey. The standard of accomodation in the sleeper carriages was great (althogh playing poker whilst drinking Chinese beer ensured minimal sleep was had by all) although the train station was another experience altogether. Chain smoking old men joining your group to stare, beggers who tried to cling to you and people who just stared at you and sniffed; all of this made me clutch my bags to me all the tighter and say a small prayer of thanks that my passport was attached to me under layers of clothing.

The next morning we arrived bright and early and set off to explore the city wall of Xi'an. Over shadowed by the Great Wall, this amazing all goes right around the old town for 14km and is twice the width. We had a great cycle along it to wake us up a bit. Aside from the Wild Goose pagoda and a gorgeous Chinese style Mosque, the highlight of Xi'an was definitely the Terracotta Warriors. The life size Warriors built upon the instructions of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who became the first emperor of all of China by uniting the provinces through blood thirsty war, was clearly a touch paranoid about his enemies coming after him in his next life. Over 6000 warriors alone in the first site, with two other sites serving as army command.

Once we'd finished in Xi'an, we flew in to Shanghai, once again shrouded in a haze of smog. So thick that we could barely make out the famous skyline when we paid a visit to the bud at the riverside. Later that day, we then headed to the Yu Gardens and then the Jade Buddah Temple for a traditional tea tasting ceremony. At the end of the day, we headed out for the final supper and a touch of kareoke in true Chinese style. They all think they can sing there. Pop Idols would be a hit. The next morning before heading to the airport to make the journey home, it was great to know that I shall deinitly be in touch with friends I had made. Awesome people.

Saying Goodbye to Singapore

Extract from an e-mail sent:

With my final week in Singapore drawing to a close, I thought I'd drop you all a line before I head off to China and before we all get swept up in the festive swing of things. It's been an amazing experience being here and I won't pretend it's all been rosy. The weekend travel has been amazing, with Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia being literally on my doorstep. And I am looking forward to China, minus the spitting affliction they have. It's all on this blog, but my highlights include:

• Climbing the steps of Angkor Wat as the sun was setting;
• The dolphins off the coast of Bali;
• Amazing Thai massages;
• The Grand palace and Wat Pho in Bangkok; and
• The Hong Kong Skyline.

Blissful in Bali

On recommendations from my Mom and Nasia, I headed to Bali for the weekend (1 to 3 December 2006). I had decided to splurge on a bit of extra luxury and booked into one of the resorts on Nusa Dua beach. And was it worth it!! Saturday morning was spent lounging on the beach enjoying the fact that I had no where to go, nothing to do and no one to see. After I'd indulged in my idleness for long enough, I headed off to the village of Guligan to walk in the traditional terraced Rice fields. Really gorgeous, lush green countryside. After leaving Gulingan, I made my way to the Royal Temple of Mengwi - Pura Taman Ayun. Dating from 1634, this temple complex is surrounded by a moat, and contains many multi-roofed meru shrines, complete with intricately carved wooden gates.

Next up was the sacred Monkey Forest, which is set amongst a cluster of towering trees and is home to hundreds of monkeys. Although monkeys are nothing new, having lived in Durban most of my life, the sheer volume of them was rather daunting. Memories of being chased by monkeys in Leisure Bay did enter my head. Before heading back to my hotel, I stopped at Tanah Lot, famous in Bali as the Sunset Temple. The black lava towers of the sacred 16th century temple, built on a lava rock 200 meters off shore created an impressive silhouette against the setting sun. Almost a perfect end to the day - topped off with a glass of wine and dinner at the beach front restaurant.

Sunday was another relaxing day although it started off with an exhilarating speed boat ride out off the coast of Nusa Dua to see hundreds of dolphins frolicking in the water. Fresh air and sunshine were exactly what my body had been craving. Best I enjoy before heading to colder climates in China next weekend.

Koh Samui, Thailand

Friday night (24 November 2006), I jetted out on Bangkok airways to Koh Samui on the east coast of Thailand. After making my way to Matlang resort, situated on the Northern part of Chaweng Beach, I was rather chuffed to be shown to my own little rustic, beach front bungalow. Sea view, aircon, stepping onto the beach from your front door - all for only 1000 Baht a night (15 GBP). Not bad.

The next morning I found my 'possi' on the beach and settled in for a day of my book on the beach, interspersed with dips in the sea to cool off. Blissful. Late Saturday afternoon after my day on the beach, I headed along to the Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts, where I tried my hand at making a traditional 'red hot' curry paste and a few different versions of the curries in an afternoon cookery course. At the end, our group sat down with a few bottles of wine and demolished everything we'd made. Scrumptious stuff, I tell you.

The next morning dawned bright and early and I headed along the beach for an early morning walk, long before the revellers from the night before had arisen. Nice to have to place virtually to one's self.

After breakfast, I headed to Kandaburi spa for my final taste of Thai massage, along with a few other spa treatments that I just could not resist. Amazing how such simple things can make you feel so amazing. I have always said that I was a women with simplified tastes..

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Being picked up at 3.30am ain't my idea of fun, but in order to catch my ealy morning JetStar Asia flight out to Siem Reap, Cambodia on 17 November 2006 - a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! Landing in Siem Reap at 7am provided an amazing view out over all the temples and I started to get rather excited. I think I now finally know how the 'Vaalies' must have felt landing in Durban, when they leaned over me to catch a glimpse of the coastline and yelp, "Kyk ma, daars die see". I however, opted for a more quiet form of admiration but the impression was no lesser in magnitude. Siem Reap means Siamese defeated - rather cheaky for a city so close to Thailand.

At the airport, I met my guide and after dropping my day pack (Dad - you'll be pleased to know that I am refining the art of packing light) at the hotel, we headed out tour to Small Circuit of temples, including Prasat Kravan (Cardamon sanctuary), Banteay Kdei, Srah Srang (Royal Bath), Ta Prohm (Jungle Temple), Takeo, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda. That afternoon I got my first taste of Angkor Wat.

And as the sun started to slip, we headed up onto Phnom Bakheng Hill for a dusky view of Angkor Wat. Amazing and mystical and the onset of darkness only enhanced that. The ancient Khmer dynasties had some inspired architects among them. I had dinner at a traditional Cambodian restaurant that evening and what I thought I'd ordered for starters turned out to be totally different. Papaya salad turned out to be Scorpian Salad with a bit of papaya thrown in. Fear Factor Cambodian style and I was greatful that they were not alive. Going with my motto of I'll try anything once, I did try some, but lets just say that I did not clean the plate. Scorpian does not taste like chicken and leaves a rather bitter, almost acidic after taste.

The next morning was another early morning rise to get the traditional sunrise view of Angkor Wat, hopefully before most of the other temple seekers have arisen. I staumbled thorugh the gates in the dark, my path illuminated thanks to Sony Ericson and headed for the library steps, just off the path where most were standing. In the quiet, still morning I was one of the most breathtaking sun rises ever, to just sit and watch the magnificent temple slowly come to light. After breakfast and a much needed coffee, we made off for the South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphoun, Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King.

The South gate of Angkor Thom is the most intact and I hopped on an elephant to ride through the gate and head for Bayon. The temple with its 49 towers and smiling faces was a labyrinth of passages and stairways. Climbing to the top, I came to the conclusion that the ancient Khmers had tiny feet as the stairs literally just go up and it's best to walk crab-like, sideways up or down - kind of like a Siem Reap shuffle.

Later that afternoon, I headed off to visit the Grand Circuit / Angkor Wat including Pre Rup (Change the body), East Mebon, Ta Som, Neak Pean, Preah Khan and Baksei Chamkrong. I climbed up through the various enclosures of Angkor Wat, until I finally reached the ascent to the main temple. I literally had to scramble up using hands and feet and barely looked down. Coming down was an interesting affair best done backwards, but I did stop and turn as I was coming down to watch the sun set as I exited the temple. Dinner that night comprised a delicious Amok fish curry complete with a Khmer Traditional Dance Show, and some Angkor beer. No Scorpians thank goodness. Flying out of Siem Reap the next morning I got another view of the Angkor layout and it's amazing how perfectly symmetrical everything is. From the huge sqaure moat that surrounds it to the placement of the towers. Fascinates me - just like how the Egyptians constructed the pyramid tunnels at exactly 45 degree angles.